852 reports of Israeli aggression on Palestinian journalists during 2017 have been reported in the Commission for the Protection of Journalist Rights

The Commission for the Protection of Journalists’ Rights in Palestine has published its numbers on Israeli violations against Palestinian Journalists, as it does every year. These statistics show a significant increase in reports compared to December last year as a result of US President Donald Trump’s announcement of transferring the US Embassy to Occupied Jerusalem.

The commission also emphasized the significant increase in the number of violations against journalists, including the dramatic rise in beatings, destruction of equipment, arrests, threats and other types of attacks against the laws of freedom of expression and human rights.

According to this report, which covers the period from January 2017 to December 2017, all these aggressions and violations were deliberate and all these were against international law and human rights.

The report shows that there were 852 cases of Israeli violations against the laws of freedom of expression, 257 cases of which put the journalists’ lives at risk.

According to the statistics obtained in the period covered by the report, in 272 cases, the journalists (including men and women) have been shot dead or injured by violent Israeli attacks. Some reporters have suffered from choking and breathing problems as a result of inhaling toxic tear gas.

In addition, 135 cases of arrests and using reporters as human shields were reported when Israeli occupation forces faced Palestinian resistance forces.

Meanwhile, 85 cases related to the prohibition of Palestinian journalists from conducting field reports and banning them from continuing their activities were reported. There were also 22 cases of illegal fines and 29 cases of illegal shut down of media and news centers. 128 cases are also related to the destruction of media equipment.

The aggression of Zionist forces did not stop here. The travel bans issued against journalists are also numerous; they have even been prohibited from receiving medical assistance outside the country by not providing them with passports or exit visas. The exact figure is not available however 13 cases of such violations against licensed journalists have been recorded over the past year.

The report also highlights the misconduct of Zionist forces with detained journalists. Of these, there are 66 cases of torture, aggression, bans on meeting with their families or appointing a lawyer, as well as threats and imposing heavy fines.

According to the report, 268 of these crimes occurred in the Palestinian territories, 237 in the West Bank and 31 in the Gaza Strip.

In this report, it can be clearly seen that the occupying forces of the Israeli regime, regardless of international law and human rights and the laws of freedom of expression, have shown completely brutal and inhuman behavior. This has become a bitter reality in the daily lives of all Palestinian journalists.

The Commission for the Protection of Journalists’ Rights have as such emphasized the necessity of recording these violations and publishing these documents so that the true face of this aggressive regime would be unveiled for all to see.